We’ve had an ongoing problem in a bedroom with what we’re told are Indian meal moths. I thought these moths fed on people foods and were found in a kitchen. We never see them in the kitchen but have found dozens on the walls of the bedroom. Any idea where they’re coming from? A. W.,
VIEW MOREThe number one way to get rid of spiders in your home is to get rid of the insects and other arthropods that they are feeding on. Think about it. Spiders are exclusively carnivores, capturing small insects, millipedes, sowbugs, etc. Spiders wouldn’t be in your home if there wasn’t something there to feed on. “There
VIEW MOREWe hear this a lot. For an entomologist, it doesn’t take much thought to come up with a bunch of ways in which insects do good for us. I like to tell customers that an insect is a pest only if you think it is. Sometimes the same insects that are pests in one situation
VIEW MOREThey’re called woolly bears or fuzzy bears, or woolly worms in the South. In some places they’re called hedgehog caterpillars because they roll into a tight ball and play dead when disturbed. Woolly bears are actually the larval form of a tiger moth, most often the Isabella tiger moth, but they’re better known in folklore
VIEW MOREAt this time of year, we’re often talking about fall-invading insects such as stink bugs, lady beetles, and western conifer seed bugs. There are a number of insects like these that are normally found outside feeding on plants, but that move into homes in the fall with the idea of spending the winter in comfort
VIEW MOREAlthough the Indian meal moth is probably our most important pest of stored foods in homes, a close second is the sawtoothed grain beetle. This is a very tiny (less than 1/8 inch long), brown beetle. If you can look at it under magnification, you will see that there are 6 “sawteeth” on each side
VIEW MOREPest-proofing your home to keep pests out is an important step in pest management. Pest-proofing means making sure windows and vents are screened, that doors have thresholds and weather-stripping, and that gaps and cracks where pests could enter are sealed. Caulk can be an important tool to help seal pests out. Each type of caulk
VIEW MORESome strange bugs have suddenly appeared in the under-sink cabinet in our laundry room, and in a back storage room in our basement. They’re light gray and very tiny, but they jump. There must be a hundred of them under the sink. Do you know where they came from? How do we get rid of
VIEW MOREWe seem to have a clothes moth problem. I’ve seen several gray and brown small moths fluttering around the house. I notice them mostly in the evening when I’m trying to watch TV. How do I find the clothes that they’re infesting? I haven’t seen them in any closets. R. L., Plaistow, NH I would
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